AN 83-year-old US citizen has become the 22nd confirmed case of the Covid-19 virus in Malaysia, according to the Health Ministry.

In a statement tonight, Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the victim was a passenger of a cruise ship that had docked in Cambodia on Thursday.

“All passengers and crew were allowed by the Cambodian government to return to their respective countries after a health screening.”

All 145 passengers of the ship, including the victim and her husband, then flew to Malaysia yesterday.

The victim and her husband were found to be symptomatic upon arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and were referred to Sg Buloh Hospital for further examination.

While the victim tested positive through a Covid-19 test conducted by the Institute of Medical Research (IMR), her 85-year-old husband’s test yielded negative results. 

“The ministry will continue to strengthen preventive measures and response in handling the spread of Covid-19 in Malaysia,” said Dr Noor Hisham.

He added the ministry would continue monitoring developments through other parties as well.

The IMR has been using the Conventional RT-PCR method to detect the virus.

The institute’s virology unit has developed a reagent known as primers, which probes specifically for Covid-19 markers on January 11, following genetic information shared with them by Chinese scientists.

The IMR protocol is in line with the World Health Organisation’s protocol.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had announced that four people infected with Covid-19 were discharged from Sg Buloh Hospital yesterday after making a full recovery.

She had said the number of those who have recovered fully from the viral infection stood at seven. – February 15, 2020.